Trolley.



No. 657,213. Patented Sept. 4, I900. J. E. CONNOLLY.

TROLLEY.

(Application filed Dec. 5, 1899.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I;

Tia: mums PEYERS w. PHUTD-L'ITMO. wAsmnumn. e, c.

No. 657,2!3. Patented Sept. 4, I900.

J. E. CONNULLY.

T R 0 L L E Y.

(Applicati eeeeeeee c. 5 1 B 9 9.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets$heet 2.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR M o awn/13 1 12? TORNEYS UNiTnT) STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH E. CONNOLLY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

TROLLEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 657,213, dated September 4, 1900. Applioation filed December 5, 1899. Serial No. 739,808. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH E. CONNOLLY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trolley-Arms; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Thisinvention pertains to that class of electric street-cars in which the power is obtained from an overhead wire or cable by means of a trolley projecting upward from the car into contact with said wire; and the objects of the invention are to more effectually prevent the trolley from jumping or becoming disconnected from the overhead wire, especially when the car and its trolley are traveling around a curve in the track and overhead wire, to at the same time enable the trolley to be readily released when desired, to reduce the amount of abrasion or wear upon the overhead wire at the curves in the track, and thus increase the durability of the wire, and to secure other advantages and results, some of which may be referred to hereinafter in connection with the description of the Working parts.

The invention consists in the improved trolley-arm and in the arrangements and combinations of parts of the same, all substantially as will be hereinafter set forth, and finally embraced in the clauses of the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several views, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the upper portion of the improved trolleyarm. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same, and Fig. 3 is a View taken from the front. Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line at, Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is a section taken on line y, Fig. 3.

In said drawings, a indicates the body of the trolley-arm, which is preferably tubular to permit the passage therethrough of an insulated conducting-wire, as is usual. This arm may be of any suitable construction. At

the upper free end of the said arm a is arranged the head Z), comprising two sections or halves Z)" Z), clamped together by the bolts 0 and pivotal bolt d in any suitable manner. The lower ends of said sections are preferably concaved at their inner faces to receive between themselves the end of the arm a, which arm is then firmly clamped in place by tightening the bolts 0. At the upper end of said sections 1), the same are enlarged in vertical plane and are recessed on their inner sides, as at 12 to receive between them selves a main contact-wheel e, adapted to engage at its periphery the overhead wire or cable. Said contact-wheel e is thus pivoted in a vertical position between the two sections b upon a bolt cl, extending through said sections and aiding in clamping them together. In side view the contact-wheel e is Wholly inclosed by the cheeks b of the sections 19, and the periphery of this wheel is provided with a preferably semicircular groove 6 to receive the -overhead wire from which power is taken. The sections 6' of the head I) are further, in the process of casting, provided at their outersides with horizontal projections b and said projections are chambered or recessed from the top, as at 11 to receive slides f. Said chambers or slideways b extend transversely of the arm and occupy a horizontal position when the trolleyarm is in the usual inclined position. Said slideways do not extend to and open against the sides of the contact-wheel e, but are separated therefrom by partitions bflintegral with the sections 1). The outer ends of said slideways are closed by plates g, suitably secured by screws or bolts 9. Within the slideways thus described are arranged the slides f, adapted to move in a direction parallel to the axis of the contact wheel e and suitably tongued at the sides, as at f, to engage grooves f in the walls of the slideway. Each slide is sufficiently shorter than the length of the slideway to permit the desired range of movement and is normally held at its innermost position next the contact-wheel e by a spiral spring it, placed between the outer end of the slide and the plate g. The said sliding blocks f extend upward and are open or exposed at the top to support supplemental contact-wheels i, which latter are horizonthe overhead wire.

.readily escape from place.

.bein g prevented.

of such diameter that their peripheries closely approach each other directly over the main wheel (2, the under surfaces of said supplemental wheels being also closely adjacent to the rim or periphery of the main wheel. said supplemental wheels i are provided at. their upper sides with circumferential guiding-ribs 71, adapted to project peripherally over the-groove e of the main contact-wheel e, as shown more clearly in Figs. 2, 3, and 4,1 and form therewith an inclosed space m fori The said guiding-ribsf are rounded at the top in cross-section, as at&

16 to provide a flaring passage through which;

the wire may be forced into the space 4%, where it normally lies in connection with the? trolley-wheel. The ribs are also rounded ati their lower sides, as at i but on a sharper, curve, so that the overhead wire shall noti In operation,f= therefore, the overhead wire engages with the; main wheel 6 and also the supplemental wheels 2', all said wheels turning freely on@ their axes and wear upon the overhead wirei In turning a curve in the track the pres-. j

.sure will be thrown mainly upon one supple-i mental wheel, and any cramping or friction;

,of the wire in its bearings is prevented by the supplemental wheel under strain being free? to move laterally with its slide f against the power of the spring h. f

The bearings of the main wheel a may be? oiled in the usual manner at the end of each run; but to provide for lubricating the sup-1 plemental wheels 1' I have formed them cupshaped or recessed at the upper side, as at 1' and into this space cotton-waste or other suitable material saturated With oil may be packed. If desired, the interior walls of the chamber 2' may be given any other shape to more securely hold the said packing.

It will be understood that when in operation the trolley is brought upward against .the overhead wire to engage the same said wire passes through the flaring passage between the two supplemental wheels i into the space m. In doing this the said supplemental wheels are forced momentarily apart, which is permitted by virtue of said Wheels being mounted on the slides f;. but the springs h at once restore them to their normal position. The trolley can also be released from the overhead wire in a similar manner by giving it a sharp strong pull downward by means of the usual rope. (Not shown.)

To prevent any transverse wires supporting the main power-wire from catching upon the supplemental rollers t, I have provided the sections 1) with horns 7c, (shown in Fig. 1

more.clearly,) which provide at their upper sides forwa rdly-inclined surfaces by means of which the wire is led over the tops of the supplemental wheels as the pole is drawn forward withthe car.

By the construction thus set forth I provide a practical trolley which will not jump the wire, one which is simple and cheaply manufactured, and one which need not at all interfere with cross-wires and switches.

It should be noted that my trolley-arm is so constructed that it can be inverted and will run upon an underground wire as Well as upon an overhead wire.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is l. The improved trolley-arm, herein described, having at its upper end a head providing bearings for a main contactfwheel e, and supplemental contact-wheels, t, the-said supplemental contact-wheels being disposed to rotate in a horizontal plane and overhang the periphery of the main wheel tangent theretoand closely adjacent, the peripheries only being presented to the power-wire and said peripheries being shaped to form with the main contact-wheel a passage-way for the power-wire, substantially as set forth.

2. In a trolley-arm, the combination of a main contact-wheel pivoted to turn in a vertical plane and peripherally grooved to engage a power-wire, and supplemental contact-wheels supplemental wheels having their peripheries oppositely rounded and normally contiguous to each other directly above the main wheel, said oppositely-rounded contiguous peripheries of the supplemental wheels forming in edge view a narrow opening gradually flaring at the top to facilitate the entrance of the power-wire and more abruptly flaring downward at the lower side to engage the sides of the power-wire and hold it upon the periphery of the main wheel, substantially as set forth.

4. In a trolley-arm, the combination of a forked head b, a main contact-wheel pivoted therein, spring-controlled slides working in said head on each side of said wheel, and supplemental contact-wheels pivoted on said slides,the peripheries of all said wheels closely approaching one another at a point and forming between themselves a passage-way for a power-wire, substantially as set forth.

5. In a trolley-arm, the combination of the forked head 12, providing rearwardly-curving guiding-horns, main wheel 6, vertically pivoted in said head, slides f, Working horizontally at the sides of said wheels, and supplemental wheels 2', horizontally pivoted upon said slides, said supplemental wheels lying behind the guiding-horns and peripherally approaching each other and the main Wheel, substantially as set forth.

6. In a trolley-arm, the combination with a head and a main contact-Wheel vertically pivoted therein, of supplemental contact-wheels horizontally pivoted with their lower sides tangent to the main contact-wheel and adapted to peripherally engage the sides of the power-wire, said supplemental wheels being pivoted upon horizontally-movable slides and being recessed or cup-shaped at the top to receive lubricants, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 20th day of November, 1899.

JOSEPH E. CONNOLLY.

Witnesses:

EUGENE A. CLANoY, CHARLES H. PELL. 

